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If you're in or near London, then you might want to get yourself to the Museum of London on Tuesday to see the first in a series of public lectures about maths, given by one of our favourite mathematicians, Chris Budd. The lectures will show how relevant mathematics is to all of our lives, and the process by which mathematical ideas move from the abstract to the practical, and also transfer technology between very different disciplines. Whilst introducing you to some advanced modern mathematical ideas, these lectures will start from an elementary level, be accessible to all, and will be packed with examples, many of which will be drawn from directly from Budd's own experience as an applied mathematician.

The lectures will take place on Tuesdays at 1pm, they are free and no reservation is required. See the Gresham College website for more details.

Good news for all those who love maths and trying out puzzles, games, problems and generally cool and interesting maths type things! The Annual MathsJam Conference is on this November! A number of talks have already been proposed including teaching tiny horses to count, cheese, pizza and other food based problems, unreal real numbers, and a newly discovered thing. There's also a baking competition, a competition competition (yes, and it makes total sense), a t-shirt competition, and lots of good stuff. You can register here, as well as find out how to offer a talk, an activity, competition or cake if so inspired – have fun Jammers!

Nira Chamberlain uses maths to solve difficult problems in engineering and industry. He tells us how solving these problems can be like fighting an invisible boxer, and how he loves the feeling of having succeeded — because "the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory!"

Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb has a fascinating job: she works on the mathematics behind image analysis. It finds application in all sorts of areas, from medical imaging, such as MRI scans, to forest ecology, which sees scientists trying to gain information about forests from pictures taken from the air.

In this brief interview Carola tells us why she likes doing maths, recalls some of her favourite mathematical moments, and explains why creativity is essential in mathematics.

Mathematicians often say that being creative is hugely important in maths. But why? We asked mathematician Katie Steckles, who told us about her favourite mathematical moments and why imagination is everything.

Mathematical moments is a series of short interviews with mathematicians about their work and the role of creativity in maths. This is the first interview of the series — stay tuned for more! The video will also appear on our sister site Wild Maths, which encourages students to explore maths beyond the classroom and is designed to nurture mathematical creativity.